Xei gripped his sword tight, breathing deep. "Amal—put that energy in you. We need you full strength." He charged forward, steel flashing.
The Huntress opened her golden eyes. In a blur she was gone—then right in front of him.
"Too slow."
Her claws carved through the air, the strike only missing by a hair as Xei twisted back.
"Xei! Look out!" Tai's voice cracked across the jungle as he launched upward, coiled in his serpent form. His kick sliced through empty space. She vanished again—
And reappeared in front of Sai.
"Fell."
Her claws raked across his chest, sparks of blood and flame bursting out as he was sent crashing into the trees.
"SAI!" Amal's hands shook, but she snapped them forward. The ashes obeyed, a black storm swirling around the Beast. They coiled, hardened, locking her in place like chains forged from the night.
Now still
Amal's voice cracked with desperation. "Don't let her move!"
The Beast lowered her head, lips curling into a slow, vicious smile. Her voice dripped with cruel amusement.
"Impressive… chains made of darkness itself. But tell me—do you truly think you can bind a huntress?"
Her stripes began to glow, silver bleeding into her fur. Bones cracked, claws stretched, her form rising higher and higher. Her massive body folded, reshaped—until before them stood a towering tiger-woman, golden eyes burning, claws like steel blades.
She flexed her arms and the ashes trembled, shattering under her strength.
"This…" she hissed, her voice a roar of both woman and beast, "is my true form. The Huntress of the Night. And you… are prey."
The jungle around them darkened further, shadows lengthening, every leaf trembling as the hunt began anew.
Xei's eyes widened as the shadows tightened around them. He lifted his sword, his voice steady but laced with awe.
"You… you're the Huntress of the Night."
The Beast's golden eyes snapped toward him. She bared her fangs, her voice a low, confident growl.
"So. You know my name. Tell me, boy… how?"
Xei's grip didn't falter.
"Back in the Lion Army, the king told me tales of you. He said I should fight like you… be like you."
The Huntress tilted her head, a cruel smile tugging her lips.
"Tales?" she echoed.
Xei nodded.
"They said you were the child of a beast and a human. That your roar was so terrifying it made the earth itself shake. But one day the Lion Army came—they killed your family. And you were forced to serve them for the rest of your life."
The Huntress's expression darkened. She stepped forward, each claw sinking deep into the mountain stone. Her voice cracked with rage.
"You think humans could kill my family? You think I bowed to kings? Your tales are lies."
She roared, the sound so sharp and powerful the mountain itself shivered. The team staggered, covering their ears.
Her eyes burned with memory.
"No human killed my family. It was a demon. Tokoloshe."
The name spilled like venom, and the air grew colder.